To comprehend the various angles and cognizing or differentiating between each one of them can sometimes be tricky. This is especially true with little learners who are on the road to learning about the various angles, the obtuse angle being one of them. In such situations, teachers are most on the quest to find new and interesting ways which are different from the conventional book and blackboard teaching. This is purely to help the kids understand the strenuous concept in a much more facile manner.
However, when budding learners identify angles around them, grasping and identifying obtuse angles might not be a tricky affair for them anymore. Therefore, through this blog post, we will try to exhibit various real-life examples of obtuse angles. Furthermore, kids will also understand that angles affect many spheres of our lives. Ultimately, identifying and relating with this angle would no longer be an uphill battle for them.
Can obtuse angles be seen in real life? Some practical examples explored
Angles are formed by the coinciding of two lines. The intersection point is known as the vertex of the angle. And when the degree measured at or near the vertex is between 90° and 180°, it is called an obtuse angle. At the same time, just like the right angle can be seen in the world around us, the obtuse angle, too, affects many spheres of our lives. Some of these are listed below.
1. The angle formed by the screen of an open laptop
If you are reading this blog on a laptop, can you tell what the angle formed by the screen, considering that you have put it in a way to help you read facilely? Mostly, whenever we open the screens of our laptops, we always keep it more than 90 degrees, as it helps us see the text and other things clearly, and use the laptop more optimally. Hence, the opened screen, connected to the keyboard part, gives an obtuse angle at the vertex, which is the hinge of the laptop in this case.
2. Sloping rooftops
A sloping rooftop can be seen at places where it rains or snows heavily. Architecturally, these rooftops help the water and snow slide down to the ground so that it does not accumulate on the top of the ceiling, thereby causing damage to the house or building. Hence, the angle formed by the pitched rooftops is always obtuse, so that the snow and rain can directly free fall. This also provides the building or the house with high stability.
3. Recliners
Recliners are commonly seen in movie theatres, homes, and other places have a special feature of the backrest of it going back to help you relax and unwind. However, when you see the angle formed by the perfect recliner that helps you support your back muscles, it is always obtuse as it goes way back to a right angle, that is, 90 degrees. However, if a 180-degree angle is formed, it will be just like a bed. Therefore, a good recliner is one that forms an obtuse angle, providing you with excellent lumbar support.
4. Kids’ slides
When you venture outdoors, try searching for objects that are not perpendicular but a little more than that. Just like a kid’s slide. The ladder part and the side part intersect each other in a way to form a not-so-steep slide for the little ones. This gives the look of an obtuse angle from both sides. Just imagine, if the slide had been perpendicular to the ladder, the slide would have become way too steep, and the chances of kids getting hurt would have been too much. However, to make the slide safer for kids, the sliding part of the swing is often at a larger angle, thus forming an obtuse angle.
5. Various English alphabets
The English alphabet doesn’t just aid us in teaching the language and forming the words. If looked at closely, some alphabets form various angles. For example, the letters X, K, and Y have a noticeable obtuse angle. In the alphabet X and Y, the obtuse angle is present towards the right and the left side of the alphabet. At the same time, in the letter K, an obtuse angle of more than 90 degrees can be seen on the right side.
6. A door wide opened
Ever seen a door open and wondered what angle it is forming? While most doors open up to a maximum of 90 degrees, forming a right angle due to the wall present at the back. However, in some places, the wall is far back, and when the door is pushed a little harder, it can form an angle of more than 90 degrees, but less than 180 degrees, giving us a clear display of an obtuse angle.
7. Pair of scissors
A pair of scissors, when open, can give us a lot of angles, from right angle to acute to even obtuse. When the scissor is fully open, it forms an angle of a little over 90 degrees. Hence, this clearly displays an obtuse angle.
8. A coat hanger
Ever closely seen the little hanger that holds the weight of all your clothes? This classic coat hanger always comes with a hook, from which two wires pass to form the base of the hanger, which allows you to hang your clothes. The angle formed here near the hanger’s hook is obtuse as it is always more than 90° and less than 180°. The reason behind it is also scientific and logical; if the angle were less than 90, or even 90, the coats, jackets, and all the items that you could hang would just slip off. Hence, a wider obtuse angle is used to ensure great support.
9. Hands of a clock
The hands of a clock, at different times, give us different angles. When the clock strikes 3, 3:30, 6:45, or 9, the hands are at a 90-degree angle, giving us a portrayal of a right angle. At the same time, when the clock strikes 10:30, 12:40, or 1:25, the angle between the hour hand and the minute hand is clearly more than 90° and less than 180°. Hence it forms an obtuse angle.
10. Angular Bay Windows
A bay window is one that has glass windows on three sides. However, the 2 windows on the side are not perpendicular but form a specific angle. Many times, this angle formed is an obtuse angle. Mostly, these angular bay windows are added to add up to the beauty of the house. The projection of these windows can be an octagon or hexagon, and in this case, the windows at the vertex of the intersection form an obtuse angle. Simply put, an obtuse angle can be seen at the point from which the bay window panels connect.
Obtuse angle: Tricks that can make these dull angles easier to understand
As we know, the obtuse angle is the one that is larger than a right angle but smaller in degree than a 180-degree straight line. These angles are also called dull angles.
An interesting fact about this angle that can be told to the kids to help them relate between angles and the different triangles is that a scalene and isosceles triangle always has obtuse angles at the vertex of the triangle.
Furthermore, to make these far-reaching concepts more facile for kids, especially the little learners who are having a tough time understanding these angles, including the obtuse angle, the teachers and parents can bring in some funny yet interesting strategies to help them learn it. As we all made up a sentence for learning the order of the planets by repeating My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, representing Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Similarly, we can introduce a strategy to help kids learn these different yet perplexing angles.
For example, acute angles can be learned as “cute angles” as these are perpetually smaller, hence, cuter looking. On the other hand, the right angle is in a perfect shape; hence they are the “right” angle. Meanwhile, the obtuse angle can be remembered by correlating the word. “Obese angle,” meaning fat or wide. This will help the students remember the angles and the properties associated with them more easily.
Summing up
As educators and parents, we often have to come up with fun and interesting ways to help budding learners learn the concept in an interesting manner, one which can actually help them retain the topic for longer. Thus, explaining the concepts by giving some real-life examples can act in favor of the little kids, as they can now form a habit of looking for some specimens and instances by themselves. A great way would also be for teachers to give this as an assignment to kids to find real-life examples of the angles around them.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,